Reoccurrences
by queenpearl
Summary: Somewhat of a second fic to Blade's Anguish but not really. Dusty has crashed and Blade finds himself recalling Nick's death.


They say that history repeats itself which is good because people don't listen the first time. Well, for Blade he wouldn't exactly call it good! He watched Dusty, smoke coming from his nose, lose altitude. His blue eyes were wide with fear and he frantically tried to control his descent but he had no control. The racer hit the treeline, branches striking him every which way as he tumbled to the ground below. Blade circled around above him, looking for a place to land as he radioed Windlifter. The green chopper was quick to respond and was en route but it'd be several tense minutes before he arrived. Blade glanced back towards the falls. While the fire seemed in no more danger of spreading far, it could still reach Dusty's green patch of forest if the wind shifted direction. Blade needed to be careful when he landed, any wrong move could stir up embers and create a whole new blaze to deal with. Though it was nighttime, the light of the fire was enough for him to see a landing zone close to where Dusty had crashed. As he began his descent, Blade was haunted by the memories of another downed plane, 38 years earlier. His best friend, Nick was attempting a stunt on the set when he ran into a fierce crosswind. He didn't stand a chance. Blade was half afraid of what he'd find down there. Would Dusty still be alive? He shook his head. No, he couldn't think like that. Dusty needed him.

He landed easily and had no trouble locating Dusty. The air racer's orange and blue paint gleamed in the light of the fire. Blade's red coat shone brightly as well, making him appear more orange than red, as though he was actually on fire. The red helicopter rolled forward until he was standing above the rookie and he took in the damage with an expert eye. One of Dusty's pontoons had snapped, the front end just hanging on by a few wires. His left wing was mangled and Blade knew that had to be painful. Broken wing ribs always were. Dents covered him and scrapes, caused by the beating of tree branches on his way down, leaked a little bit of blood. If Blade looked carefully, he could just see the faint rise and fall of Dusty's flanks. _"At least he's alive."_ He thought. He nudged Dusty gently. The orange plane groaned and opened his eyes. Dust and ash coated him, causing him to cough a bit before he croaked "Blade?" "Right here Champ." Blade replied, struggling to keep his emotions in check. While it wouldn't be the first time a rookie was hurt under his watch, it never got any easier. There was something about Dusty that set him apart from other rookies. Most rookies were very full of themselves, stuck up, overconfident which is why so many got hurt. Not to mention insubordinate and while Dusty wasn't the type who took orders very well as Blade very well knew from their arguments, he knew that Dusty only argued not because he thought that his way of doing things was better but because he felt useless. Recalling their last big argument over the lake, Blade understood Dusty's issue. He was trying to help, he'd ordered him back to base. And the issue of pulling power, Blade thought Dusty was being a coward, but when he learned the truth, he actually felt sorry for him. Dusty had never wanted to be a firefighter, he was an air racer. He could see in the kid's eyes the passion he had for racing and to suddenly find he could do it anymore... Blade wondered how Dusty had kept it together as well as he had. He'd known the kid was something special. He suspected at least. While Dusty lacked proper training, he'd shone several times he was capable of being a great firefighter. On training runs, Dusty couldn't have it a flame if it was six miles wide but when the Smokejumpers were boxed in, his aim was spot on. The same with the two RV's he'd helped rescue. At first, Blade failed to see the connection but now, looking down at the orange racer, he saw him for what he truly was. In Dusty, he didn't see some stuck up punk, in Dusty, he saw himself. Ready and eager to help someone in need.

"How bad." The kid croaked now. "Bad." Blade replied, blinking hard as he fought back tears. Fortunately, Dusty didn't notice. He just sighed, his eyes beginning to close again. Blade nudged him fiercely. "Hey, stay awake!" He growled. Dusty grumbled. Blade thought he said something about being tired but he wasn't sure. "You have to stay awake. You want to live, don't fall asleep!" Blade growled. "Okay." Dusty agreed reluctantly and yawned, keeping his eyes open and fixed on the red helicopter before him. "Windlifter?" He asked. "En route." Blade replied. His gaze softened as he looked at him. "You did well today, Champ." He said. Dusty smiled weakly. "Thanks Blade." He replied. His gaze turned questioning and Blade braced himself for the question he knew Dusty would ask. He'd avoided it in the mine but he knew he'd have to answer it sometime.

"Why didn't you leave me behind? I deserved it." Dusty asked. "No one deserves the death you would've faced had I done that." Blade replied, his voice no more than a whisper. Dusty had to strain to hear. "But why Blade?" He asked. Blade sighed. "You are different than any other rookie I've trained. Other's need a bit of coaxing to do their jobs. They're afraid but you aren't. You reminded me a lot of how I was at your age." The red helicopter chuckled a bit. "Friendly, a bit brash sometimes but eager to help, eager to please. Though I think you've had better luck with that than I did with my instructor." Dusty raised an eyebrow. "If that's true then why were you always arguing with me?" He asked. "Me? You argued with me!" Blade retorted then shook his head. He had to admit it now, there's was no avoiding it. "I was jealous of you." He said at last. "Jealous, why?" Dusty wondered. This was new. "At least, when you first came here. I was jealous because of the life you lead. Not because you're famous oh no, nothing like that! But because you had the option of going back." "And you didn't?" Dusty growled. "My best friend died! How could I go back?!" Blade retorted. Dusty nodded, relenting. "But I can't go back, not now not ever." He sighed. "I guess the reason why I didn't leave you is because I felt sorry for you. I didn't realize how similar the circumstances were. But its one thing to leave a life by choice, another to be force away from the thing you love most because you can't do it anymore." Blade let free a heavy sigh. "While I'll admit you do need to work on your issues with authority," Dusty chuckled at that. "You're still a kind, caring, courageous young plane and..." Blade broke off, struggling to keep his voice from shaking. "And, I'm proud of you Dusty." Dusty smiled, his eyes lighting a bit at this. "Thank you Blade, for everything." He whispered. Blade lowered his head and the two shared a brief nuzzle before the sound of rotors filled their ears.

"Windlifter's here." Blade murmured, raising his head skyward. His gaze turned back to Dusty in time to see the orange plane close his eyes once more. "Stay awake!" He snapped. Dusty didn't answer and Blade nudged him fiercely. Still no response. Blade muttered a curse under his breath. He had to work fast. Windlifter was in position and Blade wasted no time in hooking the kid up to the hoist, being careful with his damaged wing. Once Dusty was secured, Blade spun his rotor blades as a signal and Windlifter rose in altitude, bringing the kid above the treeline. Blade waited until they were clear of the area before lifting off as well. He stayed close beside Dusty, keeping one eye on him and the other on the skies ahead. It was nearing dawn and would be light out by the time they reached the base. That would make it easier to land which was good.

Blade didn't look back behind him but if he did he would've seen the ashes stir where Dusty had been lying and form a white egg shape. A pair of amber eyes looked up at Blade and a pair of blue skis shifted on the ground. "Well done Blade." Nick said. "I am watching over you, always." The ghost faded and the ashes fell to the ground, settling to how they were before.


End file.
